© 2026 The Garden Gate & Artistic Pools & Spas. All rights reserved.
Made by Deadon Agency.
We design and build custom pools, spas and water features throughout Tucson, Marana, and Oro Valley—from permitting and excavation through final walkthrough. Unlike single-service pool builders, we provide a turnkey solution to your project. We design and build your pool, spa and landscape including patios, paths, stepping pads, outdoor kitchens, fire features, night lights, plants and trees, irrigation, turf, and more with a professional designer and a single point of contact for scheduling and construction.
Not all yards require extensive landscaping immediately after the pool and spa are installed; sometimes, just enough to connect the home to the pool in Phase I. We treat every project with the same care and planning that you deserve and we ensure that the design you approved, whatever the size, is installed as planned.
Whether you envision a larger resort-style pool with fire and water features, a standard sized pool customized for your use, we strive to make the process easy and within your budget.
See our approach
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Everyproject is planned around your property, goals, budget, Homeowners Association(HOA) or Design Review Committee (DRC) guidelines, as wellas local rulesand regulations. With 25 years of design and installation experience servingthe greater Tucson area—including Marana and Oro Valley—we deliver a simple,stress-free process for our clients. Every plan is buildable, HOA-ready, andpriced accurately from day one.
Ourcustom front and backyard designs can include:
Sonoran Desert-friendlyor specialty plants, grouped for water efficiency, with drip irrigation and decorative screened rock.
We integrate smart controls, salt-water chlorination systems, color-changinglights, and integrated water walls or bubblers, as well as Baja shelves (alsocalled a tanning ledge or “lagoon” locally), umbrellas, and swim-up bars orin-pool tables and seating.
FromBBQ islands designed for resale value to full outdoor kitchens forentertaining, we place grills, griddles, and pizza ovens to fit the flow ofyour backyard. If you like to entertain, a fire feature adds seating and afocal point.
Code-compliantpool fencing that preserves views, custom steel pergolas and shade structuresfor comfort from the desert sun, trellises to guide vines or screen views, andmetal gates for privacy and security—all integrated into the design.
Our turnkey approach todesign and installation can also include patios, driveways, walkways, retainingwalls, seating walls, and screen walls to hide mechanical equipment (like apool pump), planned with drainage and access in mind.
Path, up-lighting,and down-lighting designed to highlight plants and architecture, creatingambiance.
Year-round,low-maintenance grass solutions for play areas, pets, or entertainment spaces.
Gas,electric, irrigation, and lighting systems are coordinated into one cohesivebuild.
AutoCADdrawings and 3D renderings that ensure accuracy, clarity, and confidence.
Our pools and spas are custom designed for you, and the way you intend to use it. When we design, we always consider your landscape needs, particularly hardscape items like water and fire features, kitchen and walls, and how traffic flows between these features and your home. We pre-plan for the installation of pool pipe, but also underground utilities like natural gas, electric service, irrigation lines and low voltage lighting.
Your on-site Project Supervisor and our office-based Project Coordinator work with you to schedule subcontractors, in-house crews, suppliers and inspectors to the jobsite while maintaining communication between the parties. You will receive regular project updates from the start of construction through project completion.
Your typical pool and spa project follows this sequence:
● The final pool and spa design is approved (this plan will include patios and paths that connect the pool to the home and other hardscape features. It may show landscaping for reference)
● The pool and spa construction proposal is approved
● We submit permit applications and secure permit approvals
● An internal pre-construction meeting is held to review the scope of work, assign crews, finalize the construction schedule and order materials
● We layout the pool and spa for Owner approval
● Pool layout is followed by excavation, plumbing, steel and shotcrete installation
● Site grading and drainage work around the pool
● Install fences and gates if needed
● Trench for utilities (gas, electric, plumbing) and irrigation system
● Install waterline tile in pool and spa followed by pool coping
● Install patios, stepping pads and pathways
● Install screened rock, then wash and rake rock
● Install pool finish, acid wash, and fill pool and spa with water
● Startup pool and spa, and train Owner on all equipment operation including smart controller
● Clean up site and conduct walkthrough with Owner, develop a punch list
● Complete punch list items
If landscape is a part of the pool project, it will be installed simultaneously with the same turnkey approach and team.
Your typical pool and landscape project follows this sequence:
● The final landscape and pool design is approved
● The pool, spa, and landscape construction proposal is approved
● We submit permit applications and secure permit approvals
● An internal pre-construction meeting is held to review the scope of work, assign crews, finalize the construction schedule and order materials
● We layout the pool and spa for owner approval
● Pool layout is followed by excavation, plumbing, steel and shotcrete installation
● Site preparation, grading for drainage
● If landscape is included, prepare for patios and hardscape, plus swales, berms, and boulders
● If selected, layout the kitchen, fire features, patios, walls, and fences
● Install fences and gates
● Build kitchen and other masonry features including walls
● Trench for utilities (gas, electric, plumbing) and irrigation system
● Secure approvals for gas line and electric service
● Install waterline tile in pool and spa followed by coping on the bond beam
● Install patios, stepping pads and pathways
● Install trees, shrubs, and cactus
● Connect irrigation system to controller and install drip line to all plants
● Connect lighting system to transformer and aim light fixtures
● Install screened rock, wash and rake rock
● Install kitchen counter, grill, doors and other items selected
● Connect gas and test grill and fire feature
● Install pool finish, acid wash, and fill pool and spa with water
● Startup pool and spa and train Owner on all equipment operation including controllers and transformer
● Clean up site and conduct walkthrough with Owner, develop a punch list
● Complete punch list items
Engineered and steel-reinforced shotcrete pool shells, efficient PVC plumbing runs, and long-lasting parts and components featuring Pentair and Paramount equipment.
Baja shelves (also called “lagoons”), in-pool seating and benches, waterfalls and water features, fire features, deck jets, color bubblers, and color LED light fixtures all connected to the best-in-class Pentair controller, the leader in automation. Create unforgettable experiences pairing water with light and fire. Consider placing natural gas fire bowls and fire features on the pool wall or in the pool to create a dramatic setting in the evenings.
Smart automation, variable-speed pumps, in-floor cleaning systems, in-line chlorinators or saltwater generators keep chemicals balanced and reduce upkeep.
Installation of code compliant pool fencing, gates, automatic pool and spas covers, barrier walls, window and door alarms, all installed through our turnkey process.
LED underwater white and color changing lighting come in a variety of sizes and can be placed discretely to light the pool and spa, steps, and benches all connected to the Pentair controller.
Entertaining zones planned in coordination with bar stools, sunken kitchens, and gathering spaces.
Movement, sound, and peaceful spaces are created when water is integrated into the design. This may include a wall mounted Sheer Descent waterfall, several waterspouts or a simple spillway entering the pool from a raised spa.
We custom design pools and spas for your yard and for the way your family will use it. We also investigate the construction part of the job including site and soil conditions, access, utility locations and the costs to extend utilities to the pool equipment. Pools and spas are placed for ease of access, to take advantage of views, and maintain privacy. Equally important are views from inside the house facing the pool, specifically key features like a raised spa or water feature.
Many items affect pool and spa including the size (length and depth) and custom features (water feature, fire feature, pots or columns, etc.)
The property conditions is a big factor. For example, there can be a large cost variance to create access into an existing fenced yard with landscaping to dig a pool when compared to a new house with open access and no landscape or fencing to contend with. You can usually get a larger excavator and Bobcat loader onto a new construction site, while a smaller excavator used in a landscaped yard will cost more to excavate and remove soil from the site.
In both scenarios, construction materials and pool equipment are the predominant costs. This includes PVC pool pipe, in-floor cleaning systems, the steel reinforced shotcrete shell, lights, tile, pebble finish, and coping. These materials costs are determined by size of the pool and spa, so the correct sizing of your pool is critical. Quantities are a factor too, including number of light fixtures, therapeutic jets and bubblers.
There is a wide selection of finishes and options to select from when designing your pool. Options include the type of lighting (standard or LED, white or variable colors), interior finish (plaster, pebble or pebble upgrades like PebbleSheen), tile selection (standard 6” x 6” tile or mosaic tile) automation and pool sanitizing and filtering equipment selections. Other variables include the distance of the pool equipment from the pool and the distance from the pool equipment to gas and electric service. These items and costs can be controlled by an efficient design that follows a budget or budget range.
The key to success starts with design that includes the pool and spa, hardscape elements and preferably a landscape design that considers other key features and how your yard will flow from one area to the other. This is followed by a written proposal that describes where the budget is being spent with a description of all expenses. That allows you to make choices on where to spend your money.
If you select us to install your pool, spa or spool, we will include a landscape design for free.
Our pool and spa designs are used for estimating and for submittal to the Homeowners Association or Design Review Committee and to the local agencies responsible for issuing permits. We have extensive experience building pools and spas in Tucson, Marana, and Oro Valley to get landscapes, pools and related structures approved for construction. Plan approval requires adherence to local building standards, setbacks, and height restrictions (shade structures). We manage the details to keep you in compliance with all regulations and to get your project started and finished on schedule.
Designconsultations are free. Pool designs—and pool designs that include landscape—aretypically free. Stand-alone landscape designs may incur a nominal design feebased on scope. While landscape design fees can catch clients off guard, theyare critical to making sure the plan is buildable, bid properly, and that the crewsknow what to install. These highly detailed plans are also used for permitting,engineering (when required), and HOA and DRC submittals.
Yes— we specialize in turnkey landscape and pool design-build, with one point ofcontact for design and one for construction. Our team integrates pools, spas,and patios into a cohesive plan that looks intentional. Planning the entireproject from the beginning makes sure nothing is overlooked, installation isdone in the most efficient sequence, and, if the project is phased, rework islimited.
Landscapedesigns typically take 2–4 weeks; pool designs can be completed in about fivebusiness days. While most people view the pool as the more complicated element,the detail in the landscape plan is what ties the entire project togethercohesively, and why it takes more time.
Revisions are a normal part of the design process. Many times, what sounds good in conversation has a much different feel on paper. This is why the design process is so important to a successful project.
Revisions are a normal part of the design process. Many times, what sounds good in conversation has a much different feel on paper. This is why the design process is so important to a successful project.
Onceapproved, your design moves to estimating. We prepare a professional line-itemproposal, review it with you (there’s never pressure to decide on the spot),and incorporate any adjustments until the plan matches your vision and budget.
Yes. We have extensive experience working in some of thestrictest neighborhoods like Stone Canyon in Rancho Vistoso, Honey Bee Estates,Canyon Pass at Dove Mountain, Saguaro Ranch, Ritz-Carlton Residences, TheGallery at Dove Mountain (Dos Lagos), The Preserve, Pima Canyon, VentanaCanyon, La Paloma, Boulder Canyon, and their neighboring communities. Providingyour most current HOA guidelines helps streamline approvals.
Click Start Your Project or call us at (520) 574-7585 to schedule a complimentaryconsultation.
Yes. As a licensed pool contractor (and licensed landscapecontractor) we provide a turnkey construction process including design,permitting, excavation, plumbing, steel and shotcrete, gas and electrical, poolcoping and patio, equipment start-up and Owner training. We can also installthe landscaping – all with your same designer and project coordinator.
Absolutely. We always consider the homes architectural design (for new construction and existing homes) when designing pools and landscapes.
There are many options including but not limited to smart controllers, in-floor cleaning systems for pool, spa and troughs, standard gas or propane heaters, high efficiency heaters, pool and spa covers, bubblers, water features, upgraded tile and interior pool finishes, color LED lights, ultra violet and ozone water sanitation to reduce the amount of chemicals used.
Most pools take 2 to 3 months to build from start of excavation to completion. Larger pools and more complicated pools will take longer. The final pool proposal will include a projected start date and completion date.
Yes. We can retrofit an existing pool with a new spa.
Yes. As part of our design process, we always provide a 3D design for review so you can visualize the entire space.
Click Start Your Project or call us at (520) 574-7585 to schedule a complimentary consultation.
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“We don’t just design beautiful yards — we design spaces that actually get built. On time. On budget. And since most people don’t know who to trust, we earn it by asking better questions, solving real problems, and standing by our word.”
Tyler Johansen, Director Business Development
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© 2026 The Garden Gate & Artistic Pools and Spas, LLC. All rights reserved.
Made by Deadon Agency.
